An enthralling encounter at Wembley stadium ended in despair for Tottenham Hotspur. The Lilywhites came back from behind twice through Harry Kane and Dele Alli but could not stop Chelsea from running away with the game. The Blues ended the match with a scoreline of 4-2 as goals from Willian, Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic were enough to see off Spurs’ sturdy challenge.
Despite dominating the proceedings, Pochettino’s men could not take advantage of the ball at their feet as playing a rather defensive game, Chelsea exposed Spurs on the counter and scored their third goal late in the second half after being under continuous pressure for 20 odd minutes.
On that disappointing note for the Premier League chasers, here are the Tottenham Hotspur player ratings from the heart-breaking defeat to Chelsea.
Hugo Lloris (5/10): He should have done better for Willian’s free kick where he was beaten at his near post. He also was lucky to stay on the field after he handled the ball outside his area in the first half. We’ve seen better performances from the Frenchman.
Eric Dier (6/10): Dier looked uncomfortable in a back three for his side as Pedro troubled him with his pace. He got close with a glancing header from a set piece.
Toby Alderweireld (5/10): Escaped with just a yellow after fouling Pedro with the Belgian being the last man for his side. An unconvincing performance from the usually reliable stopper.
Jan Vertonghen (6.5/10): Was the best Spurs defender on the night and performed his duties exceedingly well. Also whipped in some delightful crosses.
Kieran Trippier (7/10): The wing-back combined well with Eriksen to increase problems for Alonso. His attacking output outweighed his defensive work.
Moussa Dembele (7/10): Tottenham’s answer to N’Golo Kanté. He was colossal for Spurs and helped his side to regain control of the lost momentum whenever Chelsea tried to create some pressure on Tottenham’s backline.
Victor Wanyama (7.5/10): Wanyama distributed the ball brilliantly and did not take any unnecessary risks. He also did not lose many balls as he did his job of shielding the central defenders well.
Heung-Min Son (5/10): Gave away a stupid penalty in the first half and was overshadowed by Victor Moses throughout the match. He failed in his unusual role as a wing-back.
Dele Alli (7.5/10): After a sluggish first half, arrived on the big stage with a well-taken goal. After equalising, Alli created many opportunities for his teammates.
Christian Eriksen (8/10): Was Spurs’ most creative outlet. It looked as if everything happened for the Lilywhites through him. One of the passes of the season by the Dane for Alli’s goal in the second half.
Harry Kane (6.5/10): He scored a smart goal as he stopped down to make contact with a low cross to equalise early on in the game. Sadly it was his only worth mentioning effort in the game.
Substitutions
Kyle Walker (5.5/10): He made quite a few tackles in his cameo performance but failed to clear the delivery which led to Hazard’s goal.
Georges N’Koudou (6/10): It was Pochettino’s last throw of the dice to make one last attempt in reducing the deficit but the youngster came on too late to create a big enough impact on the game.